A Daughter's Love
by Lolly
Summary: It wasn’t an accident. There was no way to save Will Turner. And it was all because Elizabeth loved her father. Oneshot.


Disclaimer: I don't own anything except maybe this really cool looking pen with the feathers and glitter and what-not...

A/N: My first try at tragedy. I couldn't sleep one night so I wrote this instead. Hope you like!

She remembered sitting next to her father's bed, holding his hand and crying. Elizabeth knew it would happen one day, but not this soon. A week before her wedding to Will Turner, the Governor had fallen ill. Within days his fever had risen and he was confined in his bed. She prayed every night for him to recover but the disease continued to slowly eat away at his life.

Of course, the wedding was postponed until further notice. Elizabeth hadn't left her father's side nor had she seen Will. On what was going to be their wedding day, the doctors had come to a devastating conclusion: Governor Swann would die soon, and he had known it since he first collapsed that day.

One night, he gathered as much strength as he could muster and looked into his daughter's teary eyes. His own were sunken in and his face was pale. He spoke only in a whisper while she listened patiently. "I love you Elizabeth, with all of my heart," he wheezed as she took his hand in her's. "As you know, Commodore Norrington will take my place as Governor. I want to be sure you are protected and live well." He coughed and Elizabeth covered his mouth his a handkerchief. She did not notice the drops of bloods as she took it away.

The Governor continued. "I want you to promise you will marry Commodore Norrington. Do not marry that blacksmith. He is pirate and I don't want him to hurt you in anyway. This is my last request from you." She nodded and more tears rolled down her raw cheeks. "Promise me, Elizabeth, that you will marry the Commodore."

She swallowed at the lump in her throat. Did she love him enough to forsake the love of Will? "I promise." A daughter's love can do anything. But at what price?

The next morning, Elizabeth woke from her chair with her hand still clasping her father's. It was cold; lifeless. He had died in his sleep.

The death had an affect on the entire town and they had all shown up a the funeral. Elizabeth had thought that would be the saddest day of her life. She would be wrong.

Following her father's last words, a month later she married Commodore Norrington, now known by Governor Norrington. Again, the entire town showed up, but for a joyous event, except Will Turner. No one spoke of his absence for everyone knew that he was once the one to marry Elizabeth.

Elizabeth, however, was not happy this day. Not only was her father's death still on her mind, but her heart told her Will should be across from her, not Norrington. As the ceremony progressed, she resisted the urge to run to Will and forget this. But she repeated her father's words in her mind and said "I do". A daughter's love is not easily broken.

It was on that day, when the church bells rang in mirth, that Will decided he could no longer continue. The only woman he had ever loved was out of his reach and would never speak to him again. He thought of her words.

"I'm sorry, Will. I'm marrying Norrington. It was my father's last request and I can never see you again. You must understand."

But he didn't understand. He loved her, he had risked his life for her, and she turned him away. How could she betray him? A daughter's love must break hearts, he supposed.

As he placed the hilts of four swords into the ground, he remembered the feeling of shock and emptiness when she left him. His fingers dug at the ground of the blacksmith shop. Along with her good bye was a threat from Norrington.

"If you speak to her, if you even lay eyes on Elizabeth, I will kill you myself."

He pushed the hilt of the sword into the earth and refilled the hole, making sure the sword stood pointing at the ceiling. One. He started on the second sword. Maybe he should have gone with Jack. Would he be any happier having never confessed his love to Elizabeth? No, he would have been miserable. Two. Now he began on the third sword. Maybe he would have lived longer. Three.

He hurried with the last sword. If Governor Swann hadn't fallen ill... He cursed Governor Swann, he cursed Norrington, he cursed God. And finally he cursed himself for falling in love. Four.

Will took a sturdy wooden table and tossed whatever was on it on the ground. Then, he positioned it in front of the group of swords. He stood on the table and stared down at the glinting ends of the swords in a diamond pattern. This would hopefully be almost painless. He took one last breath, closed his eyes, and fell forward...

Hours later as the sun began to set, Mr. Brown opened the door to his shop, ready to return to work. Basically, he let Will do everything while he drank himself to sleep. He was the first to see the gruesome scene. He stared at the four dry crimson covered swords protruding from Will's back, his face on the ground with his own blood. Mr. Brown didn't bother to check if he was alive; by the looks of it, there was no way to save him.

Word spread in the town of Will's death in less then an hour. It reached Elizabeth's ears by nightfall. She had been in a carriage with her new husband on their way home when a crowd blocked their path. While Norrington went to see what the trouble was, a sobbing woman knocked on the door. The woman told her what had happened in a breaking voice.

Will Turner was dead. Suicide.

Elizabeth couldn't believe it. She stepped out of the carriage with weak knees. The crowd moved slowly and she struggled to get through. And she saw it. A small group of men, each with blood stained clothes and hands, carried a body in a bloody sheet. One of the men tripped and fell causing the others to stumble. The body fell to the ground and the face was visible. It was indeed Will Turner.

Some shrieked in horror, others became sick to their stomachs at the sight. All Elizabeth could do was run away. Her wedding dress snagged on trees and ripped, but that didn't matter. The image of her former love's cold, lifeless face stayed in her mind. Subconsciously, she made it all the way to the top of the battlement, where they had shared their first kiss. Then she fell to the ground and cried.

It's my fault, she thought as she sobbed uncontrollably. It was her fault he was dead. Why hadn't she listened to her heart? Why couldn't she have refused her father's request? A daughter's love was stronger then she thought. Time seemed to stop as she cried. Minutes or hours passed, she didn't care.

Suddenly, the tears ceased. She no longer felt sad or guilty. She was empty, devoid of feeling. Wobbling, she stood to her feet. In the distance, she heard Norrington's shouts for her. She ignored him and looked down at the rocks below. She recalled the day she had miraculously missed them and began an adventure that changed her life forever.

Now it was gone. Everyone she loved was gone. She balanced herself on the edge with the piece of a wall. She looked behind her as the shouts grew louder. There was nothing left for her here. Her father was gone. Will had died. Her soul died with them. She stared at the roaring sea below her and she fell. And this time, she did not miss the rocks.

A/N: Please review if you like! If not, click the back button!


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